Scognamiglio: De Bruyne and McTominay together is Allegri's real puzzle

The Radio Napoli Centrale match analyst explains why fitting the two midfielders together forces tactical changes on Allegri, with Anguissa still to return and the Venezia game already posing the first test.

by Gennaro SanninoFriday 16 October, 23:01 CET· 2 hours ago

Scognamiglio: «De Bruyne e McTominay insieme, il vero nodo di Allegri» — Grafica Arena Napoli

Domenico Scognamiglio, match analyst, told Radio Napoli Centrale's Sempre Con Te that fitting De Bruyne and McTominay together is the real issue facing head coach Allegri ahead of Venezia-Napoli. "With this system it's complicated," he said, adding that playing them together "is the objective, but it forces you to make tactical changes."

The problem, in his analysis, is structural. When both are on the pitch, De Bruyne has to drop deeper, which creates more complex mechanisms, and Napoli lose a winger, because fielding the two of them together also means taking out a pure midfielder.

A concrete example came in the 3-0 win over Frosinone on 10 October, when Napoli played with two wingers supporting the striker — a different solution from the one used away at Villarreal.

The Anguissa problem

The issue widens when you consider who is missing and who still has to return. "And when Anguissa comes back, what will you do?" Scognamiglio asked, referring to the midfielder who is recovering from a muscle strain and has been back in training with the group since 14 October — another fit to work out in an already crowded midfield.

The plan for Venezia

Tactically for Venezia, the idea is to build out from the back, with Giovane played behind Lucca "because he's a second striker," and the two deep-lying playmakers, De Bruyne and Lobotka, providing the passing quality.

But the analysis doesn't hide the underlying friction.

De Bruyne loves playing further forward. Against Villarreal he was dropping deep to come and get the ball.

And when it is De Bruyne who drops back, fitting McTominay in behind the striker becomes, in Scognamiglio's words, "more complex."

Allegri's call for balance

The link to the balance Allegri called for after the 3-1 defeat at Villarreal is direct. For Scognamiglio, when the head coach talks about balance he means the distances between the lines in both phases: "If we look at the last 25-30 minutes against Villarreal, that's what makes you think that. Napoli are conceding too many goals." The analysis comes three days after that 3-1 defeat in the Champions League, when Napoli collapsed between Rrahmani's goal in the 8th minute and Villarreal completing their comeback by the 26th minute.

On Lucca, the likely starter at Venezia, the reading is just as clear: "We'll see long balls with his back to goal. He's a different type of striker, we'll see a few more crosses too," compared with the solutions used with Højlund.

On the league, among the teams impressing most, Scognamiglio named Roma ("very compact") and Fabregas's Como, "a step forward" even without shining in their last few games — a comparison that suggests how much adaptation work Napoli still have to do.